Digital Science
VP Infrastructure Operations
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VP Infrastructure Operations
Department: Group IT & Security
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: UK
Description
About us
We are Digital Science and we are advancing the research ecosystem.
We are a pioneering technology company, and our vision is of a future where a trusted and collaborative research ecosystem drives progress for all. We believe in better, open, collaborative and inclusive research. In creating the next generation of tools and working in partnership with the community we tackle some of the biggest challenges to research. In order to achieve our vision, we need innovative, inspiring and dynamic people to join our team. Want to join us?
Your new role
As our VP of Infrastructure Operations, you will be part of our Technology team, overseeing the strategy, design and management of our (predominantly) cloud infrastructure which centres on AWS and GCP.
This role is critical in the delivery of Production services spanning a range of products and enables the business through driving innovation, scalability and operational excellence across our cloud based services and ensures that the infrastructure supports business growth and security/compliance requirements.
You will lead cross-functional teams, manage vendor relationships and ensure the reliability, performance, availability and efficiency of cloud services in a fast-paced, high growth environment.
Please note - due to business need, we can only accept applications from candidates who reside in the following locations where we have established legal entities: UK, Spain, Germany or Romania.
If you apply from outside of these areas, your application will not be considered.
Please be aware that we may close this position early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply promptly.
What you’ll be doing
- Cloud Infrastructure Leadership - Lead the design, implementation and optimisation of the company’s cloud infrastructure, focussing primarily on AWS and GCP to meet current and future business requirements.
- Strategy Development - Define and execute a cloud strategy that supports scalability, cost efficiency and business continuity while aligning supporting capabilities (monitoring, alerting, tooling), company objectives and Technology/Product roadmaps. Work with Senior Leadership and key stakeholders to align the infrastructure strategy with the overall business objectives and develop a strategic roadmap ensuring that Infrastructure Operations supports business goals.
- Leadership - Lead and mentor teams of DevOps/SRE/Infrastructure Engineers with a focus on continuous professional development and high performance.
- Operational Excellence - Gather and document operational requirements centred around contractual compliance, business needs and industry best practice. Utilise these requirements to design appropriate monitoring, alerting and incident response practices. Identify and implement automation candidates to further maximise the efficiency of the teams. Ensure 24/7/365 operational stability and performance of infrastructure, meeting or exceeding business requirements. Oversee capacity planning, change management and performance tuning to optimise performance while ensuring scalability, high availability and preparation for disaster recovery across all infrastructure aspects.
- Security and Compliance - Collaborate closely with the security team to ensure that infrastructure adheres to and aligns with required frameworks, policies, procedures and evidence gathering requirements (spanning ISO 27001, ISO 27701, Cyber Essentials). Oversee the successful operation of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans in collaboration with the Security team and ensure these are regularly tested and continuously improved.
- Collaboration - Partner with the Development, Product, Security and Business teams to ensure the business requirements are understood, met and reported on to ensure the smooth delivery of infrastructure services across the organisation.
- Vendor Management - Manage key vendor relationships with cloud service providers and other 3rd party vendors. Horizon scan for new products and features which can be leveraged to improve the return on infrastructure investment.
- Budget Management - Contribute to the development, management and reporting of the infrastructure operations budget, forecasting needs according to business requirements.
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What you’ll bring to the role
- You’re experienced in the senior leadership of IT infrastructure with a focus on cloud services.
- You are highly experienced managing multiple cloud operations teams spanning different technologies, geographies and requirements.
- You are a keen “horizon scanner”, maintaining industry knowledge, techniques, and potential tooling to cement your position in the field.
- You have expertise in AWS services (EC2, S3, RDS, etc.) and GCP services (Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Storage, etc.).
- You have a demonstrable leadership proficiency in DevOps tools and practices including CI/CD, automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (e.g. Terraform).
- You have a strong understanding and history of excelling in Monitoring, Logging and Alerting processes and tooling.
- You’re highly organised and have the ability to work on intricate details without losing the big picture.
- You’ll be a strong communicator and comfortable communicating with people at all organisational levels and leading conversations around recommendations for improvements.
- You have a collaborative approach to how you work and ensure all groups are communicated with and understand your process and approach.
- You’re a self learner and have an inquisitive mind.
- You’re resourceful and solutions focussed, making practical considerations for all groups involved.
- You’re a natural problem solver and have strong analytical skills.
- Bachelor degree in Computer Science or a related field, and/or equivalent preferred qualifications (e.g. AWS Certified Solutions Architect, GCP Professional Cloud Architect).
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Don't worry if you don't meet every qualification—let us be the judge! Studies show that many qualified candidates from under-represented groups hesitate to apply unless they meet every single requirement. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourage you to submit your application.
Living our Values
We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open, efficient and effective.
The talent we secure is fundamental to us achieving our vision and our growth plans. The values we live by are:
- We are brave in the pursuit of better
- We are collaborative and inclusive
- We are always open-minded
- We are from and for the community
At Digital Science, our vision is to see research flow seamlessly – trusted, collaborative, and accessible – fueling breakthroughs that push humanity forward. This ambitious mission is one we achieve together, by enabling open, collaborative, inclusive research.
We firmly believe that to truly innovate and solve the complex challenges faced by our customers, from researchers and universities to funders and publishers, we need diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas. A rich mix of voices drives quality insights, fosters enhanced collaboration, and ultimately pushes knowledge forward more effectively.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to building and nurturing a workplace where every individual feels valued and belongs. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Beyond recruitment, we strive to cultivate an environment where inclusivity is woven into the fabric of our culture, enabling everyone to be their best self and do their best work.
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